Animal shelters and animal rescue centers are suffocatingly full France this summer from pets that their guardians abandoned in order to go on vacation.
According to the British newspaper “The Guardian”, more than 100,000 pets are abandoned in France every year, with more than half of them abandoned just before or during the long summer holidays, as they are often found on routes towards the coast or the countryside.
Last summer, 60,000 pets were abandoned, and animal rescuers say that number is expected to be higher this year. The Society for the Protection of Animals (SPA) sounded the alarm last week, appealing for funds to help overcrowded shelters after taking in 12,000 animals since the start of the summer.
“Many shelters are desperately short of space and are expanding their facilities to try and save as many animals as possible. Every year, shelters redouble their efforts to deal with overcrowding and take in animals at risk. Today, the situation is alarming”, SPA says in a statement. “We urgently need to rescue, feed and care for all victims of abandonment and abuse.”
Financial burden…
Activists note that shelters face a double whammy: Inflation has hit families faced with skyrocketing household, pet food and vet bills, and has also reduced the number of adoptions.
A survey by polling firm Ifop last November showed that 18% of French families had abandoned their plans to adopt an animal this year for financial reasons.
“In a global context of rising prices, pet products do not seem to be saving and owners are forced to spend more to keep providing for their pets”he said.
Last year, the SPA, which manages 58 of the approximately 500 animal shelters in France, took in 16,457 animals between May and August. He pointed the finger at owners who had taken pets during the lockdown only to abandon them after realizing they were incompatible with their post-Covid lifestyle. This year, numbers are expected to be at least 15% higher, SPA says.
Heavy punishments
In a recent visit to a Brigitte Bardot Foundation shelter, Transport Minister Clement Beaune urged his compatriots not to leave their animals on the country’s roads.
“There are still thousands of animal abandonments in France every year and especially in the summer … many people still go on holiday and leave their pets on the side of the road or in motorway service areas,” said Beaune. “It is unacceptable. Those who leave will be punished severely and heavily”.
In 2022, the French government passed a law labeling the abandonment of an animal as “mistreatment” and introducing fines of up to €45,000 and three-year prison terms for those convicted.
Source: News Beast
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